1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a shorting terminal and a connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,324 and FIGS. 23 and 24 herein show a connector with a shorting terminal. This known connector has three auxiliary connectors arranged laterally in a holder. One of the auxiliary connectors is illustrated in FIG. 23 and is identified by the numeral 1. The auxiliary connector 1 has cavities 2 that can accommodate terminal fittings (not shown). The cavities 2 are arranged laterally in eight columns at each of three vertical levels. The auxiliary connector 1 and the two other auxiliary connectors in the holder can be fit into a fitting recess 4 of a circuit board connector shown in FIG. 24.
Male tabs 5 project from the back wall of the fitting recess 4 and are arranged to correspond with the arrangement of the terminal fittings in the auxiliary connectors. Releasing ribs 6 also project from the back wall of the fitting recess 4. Each releasing rib 6 is arranged below a corresponding pair of laterally adjacent male tabs 5. Thus, thirteen releasing ribs 6 are arranged in conformity with the twenty-four male tabs 5 in the upper level, and eight are arranged in conformity with the sixteen male tabs 5 in the middle level.
On the other hand, terminal accommodating portions 3 are arranged in the auxiliary connector 1, as shown in FIG. 23, and are capable of accommodating shorting terminals (not shown). Each terminal accommodating portion 3 is arranged below a corresponding pair of laterally adjacent cavities 2 in the upper and middle levels of the auxiliary connector 1. Entrance holes 3A are formed in a connection surface of the auxiliary connector 1 for permitting the releasing ribs 6 to enter the terminal accommodating portions 3 when connecting the two connectors.
Although not shown, each shorting terminal has two contact pieces that are resiliently deformable in vertical directions. The contact pieces can contact and short the terminal fittings in two lateral adjacent cavities 2. The shorting terminals are not mounted in all the terminal accommodating portions 3, but rather are mounted only in the terminal accommodating portions 3 corresponding to the releasing ribs 6 of the male connector.
The releasing ribs 6 enter the terminal accommodating portions 3 through the entrance holes 3A as the two connectors are connected and thrust themselves between the terminal fittings and the contact pieces for releasing the shorted state.
A demand exists for smaller connectors. Accordingly, thought has been given to reducing dimensions of the above-described connector by reducing the number of the vertical levels that have shorting terminals or by reducing the number of laterally arranged columns that have shorting terminals. The required shorting terminals first are allotted successively to available positions at a first level. A second level is used if the required number of shorting terminals exceeds the number that can be arranged at the first level. The additional shorting terminals then are arranged successively at this second level. The shorting terminals may not necessarily be arranged at all the possible positions at the second level. Nevertheless, the second level is required even if only one shorting terminal is required for the second level. Thus, useless empty space is present in areas at the second level with no shorting terminal.
This empty space is illustrated in FIG. 23. Specifically, four terminal accommodating portions 3 are arranged at the second level, but only three terminal accommodating portions 3 actually are used at the three positions corresponding to the releasing ribs 6 shown in FIG. 24 (i.e. no releasing rib 6 is provided in the fourth terminal accommodating portion 3 from left). Thus, the remaining one terminal accommodating portion 3 becomes an empty space.
An attempt also could be made to reduce empty spaces by reducing the number of the lateral columns in which the shorting terminals are arranged rather than reducing the number of the vertical levels at which the shorting terminals are arranged. However, a reduction in the number of the lateral columns invariably means an increase in the number of the vertical levels, but this may be advisable to reduce the number of empty spaces. As a result, useless empty spaces may be reduced to miniaturize the connector.
A shorter releasing rib is less likely to break, but requires the contact points to be as close to the front of the contact pieces as possible. To this end, it is rational for the contact pieces to extend forward from supports to the contact points, as shown, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-258012. Contact pieces of this shorting terminal have guiding surfaces extending forward from contact points to guide releasing ribs.
An attempt could be made to reduce the spring elasticity of the contact pieces in the construction described above by increasing distances from the supporting points to the contact points. As a countermeasure, it is thought to shorten the contact pieces in forward and backward directions by making an angle of inclination of the guiding surfaces steeper. However, it becomes difficult for the releasing ribs to slide properly in contact with a steep guiding surface and the guiding surfaces and the contact pieces are more likely to buckle. Thus, it is difficult to reduce the spring elasticity of the contact pieces and also to shorten the contact pieces.
The invention was developed in view of the above situations and an object is to miniaturize a connector.
Another object thereof is to reduce the spring elasticity of contact pieces and shorten the contact pieces.